Current Status - reviewed December 2009.
A major change in report style this year and if you notice any discrepancies between the report and the images displayed - relax! With the speed of advance - and photo opportunities grabbed as they arose over the last six months - some of the images used don't reflect the true status as of today - 24 December 2009. The text tells the truth !
In 2009/10 itemising and describing the various systems within the structure - is no longer appropriate. We are effectively complete from a structural point of view and this status report - expected to be the last full report prior to the launch campaign - will concentrate on just two broad topics classified 'structure' and 'software'.
The Structure.
Lets start at the bottom of KiwiSAT and work up.
Tray No 1.
The Transmitter tray/base plate is fully fitted, populated and wired. The picture largely tells the story. What can't be seen (and what aren't in place!) are the (Z-) solar panel and the two antennas on the underside. The solar cell pieces, the boards, interconnects, thermistors, leads, adhesives and the necessary jigs are ready to go for the panels. They will now be put in hand when some narrow masking tape has been acquired - probably during January. The VHF antenna blades and UHF stub antenna have been fitted, tuned, surface finished (gold plated even!) and are carefully stored for the final shake and subsequent tests prior to the trip to the launch site.
Transmitter Tray
Everything in the tray has been through a prolonged period in a thermal vacuum chamber with a 24 hour bakeout at 60 Deg. C.
For the observant there are clearly items missing within the tray, e.g., the antenna switch and the release separation power switches. With external antennas being used for the flatsat remote operation (note the temporary coaxes leaving the tray) the switching unit is not relavent to the testing and has been temporarily removed. Its just a ten minute screwdriver and SMA torque wrench job to install the antenna switch when the time comes and the separation switch leads are marked ready to connect when we do the final link-up.
(The UHF beacon antenna socket and lead IS in place with the lead and tuning stub temporarily tucked away into the bottom left corner and lashed to the internal coax loom for security.)
Tray No 2.
The BCR has been fully tested and proven. Its place is currently taken - in the flatsat - with a mains PSU so that we can run up the various systems continuously for software development. (This can be seen in some of the wide angle flatsat images later in the report.)
As part of the eventual "KiwiSAT telemetry software" package (KiwiTLM.exe perhaps!) we are planning to introduce some interesting and dynamic graphics and as a spin off from that a software system for realistically cycling the BCR - providing the charge current pattern it will see when in orbit - is being developed. With the charger/control hardware for that complete it's now in the hands of Andrew (ZL1AVC) who is finishing the software prior to commissioning.
Central Power Control
When complete (expected during January 2010) it will replace the "single source" mains derived power supply and the BCR will be given a prolonged soak test using Andrews solar panel simulator.
With the simulator system in place the BCR will - for all intents and purposes - be doing exactly what it was designed to do in space but here on the ground. Nice touch, and thanks for taking it on Andrew! The BCR burn-in will benefit from it - and the media (which we hope will generate much needed support to secure a launch sponsor or sponsors!) should appreciate it's very visual and lifelike (!) operation! Should look good on the planned (in hand!) doco!
Tray No 3.
System Battery
The battery tray. Now complete with the flight 10 cell battery pack, analysed, charted, selected and stored in a cool environment for installation pre launch. The Z axis ADAC coil and the coil driver boards for the 3 axis are installed and power from the Y+ and Y- / X - axis solar panels join the loom through this tray. Everything - including the flight batteries, the battery tray and fastening materials - has been baked out in the vac. chamber and all is ready to go.
Tray No 4.
The IHU and Ramdisk.
This is the interface between the "complete" (structure) and the "ongoing" (software) side of the satellite.
IHU
Work on this continues and the IHU is now the only system that is still unproven. Unfortunately, the late discovery of an additional problem - incompatibility within the IHU FPGA - has required some extra work which has further delayed the software development.
With this discovery assistance to tie down the detail of the original FPGA was seen as the first priority but - as was feared - observance of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) prohibits us from even talking about the original (pre ITAR) design with the designer of the circuit let alone discussing what changes are needed! (With a period behind bars possible and a major US Company licking its wounds following a US$100m fine for an ITAR breach it would be churlish to even ask his assistance!!)
IHU + RAMDisc
But, of course, the easy route is not the only one! There are always other avenues and happily a request for support from Europe has come up with the expertise needed to analyse the requirement and after several months of darkness there is now light again at the end of the tunnel.
Working from the scant (schematic .pdf) information we have to hand I'm told that regenerating the FPGA is quite a task but it has been embraced by three of our supporters.
"Many thanks Gert, Jonathan and radio amateur Michael (G3WOE). Stirling work, guys. We owe you and thank you for filling the void."
To progress the flatsat testing whilst this work has been going on, the IHU engineering version of the tray was fitted with a purpose built "switch-plate" which enabled the basic flatsat loom to be wired and this allowed the various systems to be switched manually. (This is visible in some of the flatsat images.) Happily that has now been slid to one side and the flatsat is increasingly controlled through the flight IHU tray using ' for purpose' software and a radio link from Ian's (ZL1AOX) shack. The telemetry aspect of the software could not so easily be worked round but it is being progressed.
Unfortunately, little of this is of direct value to the needed OS but at least we are moving forward.
Tray No 5 -The receivers.
Receiver Tray
This is another complete tray but again some temporary coax runs connect the RF elements to external antennas. The hitherto orderly look of the tray is lost somewhat due to this but substitution of a few SMA connectors and it will all come good!
The Attic.
My thanks to my XYL Jenny for providing the pair of hands in support of this image which has the L Band antennas in place making it vulnerable to damage if 'just propped up' for imaging.
Jen was a somewhat less than enthusiastic visitor to the Massey University Clean room I have to say! ("You're taking pictures - and you want me to wear WHAT??!!")
To enable the wiring of the internal tray loom it was necessary to insert some "temporary supports" with blank D sockets to take the loom D plugs. The L Band Converter and the GPS Rx screening cases were being conversion coated at the time the image was taken and were not in place. The improvised supports enabled the in tray wiring loom to be completed in their absense. They are both now in place but the antennas - for their protection - have been removed which would leave new gaps in a new image !! Some you win!
Science Attic
As with the Tx tray, the solar panel (Z+) is sat with the others waiting assembly and the UHF Rx antenna (more gold plate!) is suitably stowed. The matching stub/SMA connector and the lead to the UHF antenna socket is lashed to the fitted coax loom for temporary support.
Software.
As has been mentioned in a number of past updates, the provision of software is a major problem but we are getting to grips with it. The launch preparations for KiwiSAT are now almost totally dependent on its completion. Our launch support strategy is unchanged and it requires us to be able to demonstrate "KiwiSAT" as fully and completely as is possible whilst it sits on its build cradle. At the moment we fall short of that having neither a fully proven boot loader (not regarded a major problem in fact ) nor an Operating System - which is the bigger concern.
Ready prepared software does exist (in the US) but to obtain it requires significantly more funding than we have at our disposal (to meet ITAR licensing costs) and would also involve Technical Assistance Agreements (TAA's) which, frankly, we are not even prepared to consider. Life is complicated enough without signing ourselves up to the potential minefield of binding intergovernmental agreements which could be unwittingly broken with a couple of misplaced words. And lining the pockets of "legal beagles" to keep us out of jail is not high on our agenda! (This is a hobby. Right?)
So. We have to write our own and we have the expertise to do it. That just takes more time and effort. Looking on the brighter side it's not all bad news. It will add to our experience (this is a New Zealand project) and it will perhaps provide a source of software for other future amateur satellite builders!
At the end of the day we can go for a launch with just the boot loader and that's the path we will follow if we have to.
A launch?
This year (2010) we will throw in 100% (again!) and expect to be on a manifest.
Clearly we are getting close as a check of the flatsat images will show.
Enjoy!
FlatSAT on Test
FlatSAT on Test
FlatSAT on Test
